Please explain.....

[GBS]

I have checked the manual on this but as we all know it is very very basic. Say I want to attack two French Regiments with a German Division. I move the three non artillery regiments into hexes along side the french which are in the same hex, creating a concentric attack. I then move my Artillery regiment two hexes away and start by commiting an artillery attack. During that attack a number of the french units, for example 6, retreat and several, say 2, are destroyed before the attack ends. Now I committ my concentric attack and my question is this:

Are the retreated units from the initial artillery attack effected in any way in the defense during the follow on ground attack or is the only impact of artillery the destroyed units not participating in the defense and any reduction in entrenchment?

It seems that there should be otherwise why even show a retreat during the artillery bombardment. Same would apply for air bombardment.

[Barthheart]

ORIGINAL: GBS

I have checked the manual on this but as we all know it is very very basic. Say I want to attack two French Regiments with a German Division. I move the three non artillery regiments into hexes along side the french which are in the same hex, creating a concentric attack. I then move my Artillery regiment two hexes away and start by commiting an artillery attack. During that attack a number of the french units, for example 6, retreat and several, say 2, are destroyed before the attack ends. Now I committ my concentric attack and my question is this:

Are the retreated units from the initial artillery attack effected in any way in the defense during the follow on ground attack or is the only impact of artillery the destroyed units not participating in the defense and any reduction in entrenchment?

It seems that there should be otherwise why even show a retreat during the artillery bombardment. Same would apply for air bombardment.

Units that retreat during a bombardment or airstrike lose any entrenchment they had.